Myth #1 If you aren’t sore the next day, you didn’t train hard enough

Why this might hold you back: Do you feel like you don’t want to do a workout because of how hard it’s going to be? Or how hard you need to push yourself to get sore the next day? Some people avoid exercise because they see it as an all or nothing all-out effort. Progressive overload and muscular hypertrophy will get you results – neither require DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). How much muscle growth you achieve might vary depending on the length of your workout, but it’s always worth doing.

There is no scientific evidence that I have read to support that DOMS is a reliable indicator of workout effectiveness or muscle growth.

As your body adapts to exercise, you may (and almost always do) experience less soreness over time, even with intense workouts. A review in Frontiers in Physiology (2019) explained that regular training leads to a repeated bout effect, where muscles become more resistant to exercise-induced damage and soreness.

Myth #2 Running is bad for your knees

Why this might hold you back: The belief that you might be doing damage to your body, and that running is going to hurt, is the quickest way to avoid the most cost-effective (and in my opinion beneficial for mental health, especially when done outdoors) cardiovascular exercise you can do on a budget (pure cardio, not to be confused with the benefits of CPTR – Cardiovascular Performance During Resistance Training – which is your heart and lungs improving during strength training).

Research suggests that running can be beneficial for joint health. But there are some caveats, which is where running gets a bad rap. People will run incorrectly, increase volume too fast and wear the wrong shoes. All of those mistakes can lead to knee problems (or IT Band, ankle and / or foot problems) early on in your running journey and dishearten you. If you want a program to develop your running, click here. I’d love to help.

A study in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy (2017) found that recreational runners had a lower occurrence of knee and hip osteoarthritis compared to competitive runners and non-runners. This suggests that moderate running may have a protective effect on knee health.

Myth #3 You need to be fit before joining a group fitness class

Why this might be holding you back: How many times have you thought you’d go to the gym and get in better shape, prior to starting something new (like group fitness), and never went through with it? Isn’t there always a reason to prioritize other things?

Group Fitness is a fantastic way to motivate you to exercise. You have a social support group, a structured environment and a plan already built for you. On days you don’t feel like going, it just might be the best workout of your life, and you only know if you show up. Unlike gym workouts that you’ve preplanned and perhaps ignored, group fitness is fresh and challenging.

In an article in the Journal of Osteopathic Medicine (2017), group fitness led to a statistically significant decease in perceived stress and an increase in physical, mental and emotional QOL (quality of life) compared with exercising regularly on one’s own or not at all.

Is it the best way to build muscle and reach specific goals? No. That’s what personal training is for. But in my opinion, it’s the best way to keep consistent, make the right kinds of friends and see pretty good results if you follow a regular routine and good diet.